Just a Nudge

One afternoon, about a year and a half ago, I was buying lunch for Robert. He was depressed, and I wasn’t feeling up to attempting to steer him toward a more upbeat mood. We were standing in line to order. The song that was playing on the cafe’s speakers ended, and Ring of Fire came on. Just to break the silence, I said, “Is this Johnny Cash?” Robert rose straight out of his slump and his face brightened with recognition, “Yes, it is. I love Johnny Cash.” We sat down to eat and Robert went on for a good twenty minutes on Johnny Cash. When I left him at the end of the meal, he was in a cheery mood.